


GhostFire

by Beautiful_Dreams



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, ghostfire - Fandom, valdangelo - Fandom
Genre: F/M, M/M, Minor Character(s), Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-06
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-07 16:10:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1905375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beautiful_Dreams/pseuds/Beautiful_Dreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><strong>Overture</strong><br/>"You are a coward, little son of Hades. Still denying your feelings? Love is everywhere, you cannot hide from it. So run, you may think you're outsmarting me now, but know in due time... you'll regret it." </p>
<p> <br/>-Cupid</p>
<p> <br/><strong>First Movement:</strong><br/> </p>
<p>"NO! THE CANTALOUPES ARE EVILLLLL!"</p>
<p> <br/>"Excuse me?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Nico?! Um... Hiya?" </p>
<p> </p>
<p>-Leo<br/></p>
<p>
  <strong>Second Movement:</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He took one last look at the sleeping boy still slumped over his messy desk before hurrying to his own room and slipping into bed before anyone discovered what he was up to, not catching the soft smile that curved its way onto Leo's face.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-Nico</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <strong>Finale?</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <em>This is how two outsiders, as different as night and day yet one and the same, found love. This is their story.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue- Hidden Feelings

**Author's Note:**

> How's it going? Everything belongs to Uncle Rick, who enjoys stomping on our fangirl hearts... and torturing us with his cliffhangers... ._. There will be quite a bit of percico in the beginning (my other otp), but it'll end up valdangelo, don't worry. Meh, I've got nothing else to say.

Nico di Angelo stared out across the vast expanse of sea and sky that stretched for miles in every direction around the ship. A light wind played through his hair as silken waters lapped gently against the hull of the Argo ll. The air was crisp and fresh with the slightest scent of salt, like it always was. Millions of stars twinkled against a backdrop of ink, shining like crystals, and a lone gull cried out in the distance, lamenting for it's love. Then, one by one, the stars faded from existence as the sky melted from black to various shades of grey, to goldish-pink. Eos, the goddess of the dawn, spread her rosy fingers and opened the gates of heaven, where Apollo began his daily trek across the world. Not a single soul was stirring for they were all still dreaming in their beds, unaware that a new day was upon them. Except one.

He loved times like this, when he could be alone with his thoughts. He tried not to think about who could still be left after the war. Sighing, he reluctantly headed inside. Their rooms were arranged in a "U" shape around a central sundial enclosed in glass just like at camp. Perhaps Leo thought it would make them feel a little more at home he mused, as he wandered from room to room. The order was, starting from the topmost left side, Jason, Percy, Frank, Leo, Piper, Annabeth, Hazel, and himself. His room was at the topmost right side opposite to Jason's and the very last. He preferred it like this though, because he could sneak out at night or shadow travel whenever he wanted without coming across any more people than he needed to. Deciding to pay a visit to each of his crew members, he snuck silently from room to room watching them as they slept, muttering a protective charms over the ones who tossed and turned restlessly. Just like a guardian angel.

When he got to Percy's chamber, Nico lingered just the slightest bit longer observing the other's sleeping form with a thoughtful look on his face. Walking inside, he noticed that one wall was covered from floor to ceiling with memorabilia. A picture of Grover and Percy with arms draped over each other's shoulders grinned back at him, a page from Annabeth's journal ranted over how much of a seaweed brain he was, and next to that, a snapshot of Percabeth kissing against the radiant backdrop of New York. He froze.

He hated Percy in that moment. Why did he love him so much? Why did everyone who met him love him so much? WHY??? All of a sudden, the son of the sea's room felt extremely stuffy.

He could feel the strong hum of life from all of them, reassuring with its steadiness, until he got to Leo's room. Confused, he glanced at the unslept in bed, rubbed his eyes and looked again. The bed was still empty. Distracted from his task, he frantically searched the ship from top to bottom while being very careful not to wake the others. Where was Leo? Then he noticed a faint light coming from under the door to the engine room. Of course. He could of slapped himself. He wondered why he was so worried over the handyman's well-being all of a sudden as he tiptoed over. Shaking the thought away, he grasped the doorknob with a pale hand and turned it ever so carefully

Leo had fallen asleep collapsed over his desk which faced the open sea, exhaustion evident on all his features. The light Nico had seen was actually a sort of lamp clamped on top of the desk, still on because the son of Hephaestus had forgotten to close it. Not having been to this part of the ship before, his curiosity took over the better part of him as he began to walk around the room. To the left of the door sat Buford, who made an odd clicking sound when he approached. A giant wooden chest of drawers sat to the right, numerous tool bits and knick-knacks greeting him when he pulled open one. Countless other random objects scattered the floor but he paid them no mind. Something on the bureau drew him in, looking closer, he realized it was a sheet of instructions in a language he couldn't read. So this was what Valdez had been studying, he thought to himself. He took one last look at the sleeping boy slumped over his desk before hurrying to his room and slipping into his own bed before anyone discovered what he was up to, not catching the soft smile that curved its way onto Leo's face.


	2. Another Sleepless Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Enjoy!

*

The sky was cloudless. The moon peered down from a lofty throne in the heavens, it's luminous beams bouncing throughout the forest. Patches of silver light scattered the ground like forgotten leaves, complete serenity reigning over all.

Then without warning a boy broke through the trees, hair wild and clothes torn. Breathing hard, his eyes darted quickly over his surroundings, searching, when a sharp twang from behind broke his already flimsy concentration. He stopped cold, sheer terror crossing his face upon realizing he had been discovered.

Heart racing a thousand miles a minute, his feet flew across the floor so fast they blurred. He couldn't stay here. It wasn't safe. Only immense fear combined with adrenaline was able to give him that crucial push as he struggled to escape his pursuer.

He was running for his life.

Tripping over a pebble, he barely avoided falling face first. Arms raising automatically to regain balance, he bit his lip and sprinted on, dodging obstacles left and right. He couldn't stop at any cost. Screaming for help would be futile.

Skidding to a halt just inches from the edge of the cliff, his eyes widened as a stray piece of rock cascaded before him down the precipice. Admitting defeat, he gulped and slowly turned to face his enemy.

"You are a coward, little son of Hades. Still denying your feelings? Love is everywhere, you cannot hide from it. So run, you may think you're outsmarting me now, but know in due time... you'll regret it."

Cupid laughed, his silken voice ringing like charm bells, before turning his back and vanishing.

Exhaustion didn't even stand a chance of reaching him before the pain did.

Collapsing onto the floor, the convulsions wracked his body mercilessly as a dull ache worked its way through his veins like liquid syrup. But this was only the beginning.

Heartache. Such a simple name for the most terrifying feeling he had ever experienced. Screaming in agony, he clutched at his heart with trembling fingers, trying everything to stop the invisible vice-like grip that was squeezing it to a pulp. He couldn't breathe now, all the air deflated from his lungs like a punctured balloon. Screaming was impossible. Suddenly something caught his eye, glowing gold against the pale moonlight. Somehow he knew it would help his state. Clawing his way gasping and wheezing, he noticed it was relatively low hanging. Di Immortals! he thought as he uselessly batted the air, the golden orb teasingly out of his reach. Suddenly Tantalus's punishment made sense. Could he? He could. Summoning all his strength, he lurched upwards, fingers just closing around whatever it was when his fragile heart gave in. Shattering into a thousand pieces. Before he knew it, he was slipping, slipping from the world. He grasped a rock, but it dematerialized in his hands, the forest was fading away like a memory. Uttering a final cry, the darkness swallowed him whole like a shadow. The parting gift from love himself.

*

"NICO!"

With a start, the boy sat bolt upright on his bed.

"H-hun? Is there a fight? Are we being attacked?" Nico cracked open his eyes and shook off his fear, ignoring his throbbing heart and gripping the Stygian iron sword he always kept at his side tightly. Sleeping with it was not always comfortable, but hey, at least it beat having to use a plunger to defend himself during very inconvenient moments, like monster ambushes.

Leo chuckled,

"Geez Neeks, I know we're delicious monster delicacies but they can only stuff so many of us down in one go, y'know?'

Then his voice turned serious.

"But you scared the crap out of me! You were all screaming and kicking and... Are you okay?" Leo mentally slapped himself. Of course Nico was NOT okay. HE JUST HAD A FUCKING NIGHTMARE for Zeus's sake.

"I'm fine. Don't call me that and leave. Me. Alone." He spat, now that he knew they were not in danger. He didn't need Leo's or anyone's pity.

Nico swung his legs over the bed before stalking off to the bathroom and slamming the door. The confused Latino was left sitting on the bed, still stuck thinking of a reply.

Leaning heavily on the other side of the door, the son of Hades chastised himself fiercely. He knew it was wrong to be so cold towards Leo, he really did. Being kind to the curly haired boy was the least he could do. After all, they were one and the same. Outsiders, never truly fitting in with the rest. He just couldn't help himself. Letting someone in only brought hurt when they left.

Turning to the sink, he splashed his face with cold water. It cleaned his face well but did next to nothing for the guilt that crystallized in his chest. The heir of the underworld tore off his dirty skinny jeans and sweat-soaked t-shirt, tossing both lazily into the hamper before stepping into the shower, letting the warm water lead him away from the world for a little while.

When he walked back into the room, Leo was gone. That was fine with him. Going over to the window, he pulled the drapes back and saw the sky was still black ebony. With a sigh, he went over to his small bedside table and retrieved his iPod. (Phones were forbidden to demigods remember?)

Scrolling quickly through his playlist, he selected his favourite song and leaned back on the bed. Nico closed his eyes and listened. The first tentative notes rang softly. 

 

_Evanescence-Bring Me To Life_  

 

 

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors? Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold Until you find it there and lead it back home_

 

**He thought of Italy, carefree Italy. The one place he was truly happy before all this shit started**

 

 _(Wake me up)_  
Wake me up inside  
(I can't wake up)  
Wake me up inside  
(Save me)  
Call my name and save me from the dark  
(Wake me up)  
Bid my blood to run  
(I can't wake up)  
Before I come undone  
(Save me)  
Save me from the nothing I've become

 

**He thought of his mother. His beautiful mother with her smiling eyes and gentle voice**

_Now that I know what I'm without_

_You can't just leave me_  
Breathe into me and make me real  
Bring me to life

 

**He thought of Bianca, always looking out for him**

 

_(Wake me up)_

_Wake me up inside_  
(I can't wake up)  
Wake me up inside  
(Save me)  
Call my name and save me from the dark  
(Wake me up)  
Bid my blood to run  
(I can't wake up)  
Before I come undone  
(Save me)  
Save me from the nothing I've become  
  
Bring me to life  
(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)  
Bring me to life

 

**He thought of Percy. Who was never going to love him back in the same way**

 

_Frozen inside without your touch Without your love, darling Only you are the life among the dead All this time I can't believe I couldn't see Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems Got to open my eyes to everything Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul Don't let me die here There must be something more Bring me to life_

 

**Suddenly Leo popped into his head. And he didn't know why.**

 

_(Wake me up)_

_Wake me up inside_  
 _(I can't wake up)_  
 _Wake me up inside_  
 _(Save me)_  
 _Call my name and save me from the dark_  
 _(Wake me up)_  
 _Bid my blood to run_  
 _(I can't wake up)_  
 _Before I come undone_  
 _(Save me)_  
 _Save me from the nothing I've become_  
  
 _Bring me to life_  
 _(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)_  
 _Bring me to life_

As the final notes trickled away, he felt the first tears flow down his face. After hours of restless tossing and turning, he finally fell asleep.


	3. What's Wrong With Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Enjoy!

**Time Skip to Next Morning**

 

**_*Nico's POV*_ **

 

I woke to the sound of light snoring. Something was off. It took me a while to put my finger on it, but I figured it out. I didn't have a single nightmare yesterday.

Stretching out my arms and yawning, I was about to get up like every morning when my stupid brain processed what that actually meant. Scanning the room, my eyes fell on a figure lying in a heap on the floor. Leo.

 

 _He didn't even bother taking off his welding goggles,_ I thought, crawling over the duvet to slip them off before I even realized what I was doing.

 

"Di Immortales! Aphrodite!" I cursed, retracting my hand quickly. Why was he in my room anyway?

I gave the guy a rough kick in the ribs and he shot up like a bullet.

 

"NO! THE CANTALOUPES ARE EVILLLLL!"

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"Nico?! Um... Hiya?" He awkwardly rubbed the side of his neck.

 

"Why are you in my room?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

 

He mumbled something along the lines of "too tired to make it to my own" and straightened up.

"Whelp, I think breakfast is ready. Who's hungry?" Just like that, he plastered a big smile on his face and walked out of the room, humming in a annoyingly cheerful way.

_Wait...There's only one entrance and exit on Jason's side. Leo couldn't have come to my room without passing his first..._

To say I was suspicious is an understatement, but I let it slide.  

When I walked in, I was greeted by a chorus of good mornings'. Muttering one back I almost bumped into Frank, who was drunk. I know, I know, who gets drunk at 7 am? But there he was, laughing deliriously and stumbling around muttering nonsense. Annabeth as usual, was curled up with her laptop (if you didn't know, the wifi password is: "leo is hotter than you." Yes. I'm serious.) and Percy Jackson. Two things I envied her greatly over. I watched as Percy strung together a necklace carefully from the drops of water in his cup, one breaking ever so often, and he having to start all over again. This happened so much I wanted to stomp over, string them together myself, and throw it out the window. Nothing deserved to make those lines on his forehead. Nothing. But I bit back the desire, turning my attention elsewhere.

Across the table, Leo was sketching rapidly, pencil never really resting at any one spot. I drummed my fingers on the table, watching the clock. It wasn't all that entertaining to be a demigod during the in-between times when monsters weren't attacking you. Standing up, I made my way to the kitchen.


	4. Puppy Faces: Highly Dangerous Weapons That Should Only Be Handled By Trained Persons And Professional De-Cutifying Equipment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Enjoy!

**_*3rd Person POV or 3P*_ **

 

"Oh C'mon! It'll be fun!" Leo encouraged, bouncing beside Nico. Nico had tried everything to avoid Leo, but the son of Hephaestus had stuck to him like glue.

 

"How about no." He shooted back, elbowing the lad away from the fridge to get some milk. Right after Nico went into the pantry, Leo had mysteriously decided to stop sketching and follow him.

 

"But this will be the best thing yet!"

 

"You heard me."

 

The son of Hades poured himself a bowl of cereal, tipping in the milk carefully to prevent any from spilling out. It was his favourite, honeycombs, but no one knew. They all'd just assumed he didn't eat anything at all and that was fine with him.

 

"Please Neeks?!?!?!? Pretty please with icing sugar and a cherry on top?!" Leo blatantly ignored Nico's warnings and put on his best puppy face, pressing his hands together and looking at the other with wide, innocent eyes.

 

He sighed. How in the world had this boy, this boy he'd only known for a few months, figure out one of his best-hidden weaknesses when it had taken Bianca six YEARS to do the same?

 

**Sudden flashback**

 

"Mama! I want that one!!!" Bianca's shrill voice pierced the air as she pointed to a doll with brown hair braided into a fishtail.

 

The di Angelos were shopping. Having gotten off the plane from Italy little over 3 hours ago, Maria knew how foreign the land seemed to her children, and decided to buy them each a gift to help ease those worries. Little Nico, missing a front tooth held onto his mother's hand tightly. Only barely reaching the top of her thigh. He looked around the mall in amazement, but still yearned for the open-air markets of home with it's colourful displays and friendly people shouting friendly greetings. Familiar. Safe.

 

He spoke, "But thister, it's clothes are all thilver and weird!"

 

"Be quite. _She's_ beautiful. I want it." His sister shot back.

 

"I miei figli, silenzio. Siamo in un nuovo paese ormai, essere molto attenti." Their mother's gentle voice reminded them before going up on her tiptoes to retrieve the doll from it's shelf for Bianca.

 

Nico was next. He dragged her over to the mythomagic stand.

 

"Look mama! They sell this here too!" He shouted excitedly, earning him a dirty look from one of the shop keepers.

 

Then he gasped, "There's Hades!"

 

His mother looked around wildly before spotting a little figurine sitting on the table.

 

"Posso Averlo?"

 

Chuckling, she scooped up the figure too. "Sì, si può."

 

Together they headed over to the checkout lane.

 

"Venti dollari?! Questo è troppo, si riterrebbe abbassandolo a quindici?" She bargained, but it was no use. The storekeeper wouldn't budge. Maria turned to her children with a sheepish look.

 

"Abbiamo solo quindici dollari, uno di voi dovrà tornare a casa senza un giocattolo."

 

Before Nico could even fully process what the sentence meant, Bianca had already swiveled in his direction,

 

"PLEASE NICO?"

 

"NO!"

 

"I'll make it up to you!"

 

He shook his head.

 

"Farò le faccende per una settimana?"

 

"Non c'è modo!"

 

Finally, his sister gave up and pouted, jutting out her lip and giving him her best puppy face.

 

It wasn't fair.

 

He frowned and looked down on the figurine, the only one he didn't have. Making a decision. Although it was hard, he waved a small hand at his mother, signalling he had forfeited his gift.

 

Bianca left the store clutching her doll. Beaming brighter than the American sun shining down on them.

 

*

 

Much later he found out that the doll was actually a scout for Artemis, finding and keeping track of potential hunters right in their own homes. If he had been selfish that day, his sister might have still been alive. He pushed the dark thought away.

 

"Fine. But if we get in trouble, I'll say it was your idea."

 

Leo grinned.

 

**That Night**

 

"So aren't you going to tell me about this all important plan of yours?" Nico asked, trying to keep his voice casual as he perched on the edge of my bed.

"Of course! Just a sec..." Leo was being Leo as usual, and when he was being Leo he didn't go to bed until every last thing on his fix list that day was fixed.

"Just come to bed!" The son of darkness and death felt the tips of his ears heat up.

"Uh...That didn't come out right..." He added a little later, hoping the other didn't take it the other way.

Space was valuable so everything was designed on ultra-IKEA mode. Meaning if it didn't have a double purpose and wasn't fucking ass small, it was nonexistent. The only suitable places to sit were either the miserable excuse Nico called a bed, or, the floor. And he had a feeling this would be a long night.

"Yes, honey!" Leo replied a little too enthusiastically. He stopped making his rounds and slipped into bed beside Nico. When the latter noticed there wasn't even a centimetre of space between them, a slight flutter rose in his chest but he stiffled it harshly. They were business partners.

 

"Spit it out Valdez."

 

"Alright, this is the plan." He nodded and started whispering in my ear. I laughed out loud, this was gonna be good.


	5. "It'll Work!" He said. "It's Foolproof!" He said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Enjoy!

**_*3P*_ **

 

"You've got to be kidding me."

"This is the best way!"

Leo argued.

They were crouching behind a pair of wooden barrels, spying on the couple holding hands and enjoying their date about 6 feet in front of them.

"Are you sure it'll work? They're too far..."

"I'm positive. And look! They just moved closer."

Nico looked up at the stars. It  _was_ a lovely night to have a picnic.

"Aw man, I can't wait to see their reactions!" Leo whisper-yelled.  

Nico hummed in agreement. 

"Alright, 3...2...1...Now!

Nico let go of the rope he was holding. 

Immediately seven cratefuls of spaghetti-filled water balloons rained from above, finding their marks within seconds with a sharp  _pop!_

Then the backups came. Seven more cratefuls of incandescent explosive Jello rained down from above, making quite a show sparking and filling the night air with their bright bursts of rainbow light, splattering their victims in a vicious assault . Leo's own invention.

The son of Hephaestus looked on with delight. He turned to Nico and placed a hand next to his ear, how he loved that sound, the sound of complete chaos.

"Arghhh!!!!!" Jason yelled as he tried to shield himself from both the onslaught of Italian deliciousness and combustable confectionary, running in circles like a chicken with its head cut off. (A/N Sorry for the mental image, I just really love chicken.)

Pipes wasn't much better.

"My hair! I just got that done! Jasonnnnnnnn!!!!!!!! Find Leo and kill him!!!!!! P-A-I-N-F-U-L-L-Y."

"With pleasure!" Jason growled back. He was a man on a mission. Even dripping spaghetti wouldn't keep him from wringing that little bastard's neck. Spotting a corner of black material twitch behind a couple barrels, Jason lunged for it.

"Nico?" The son of Zeus looked momentarily confused as he grabbed a fistful of the boy in question's jacket.

"H-Hi?"

"Nico? I trusted you!

"Hey! Don't blame him! Wring **my** neck! ...If you can catch me!" Leo called over cheerfully, speeding away with a more-than-unfair headstart.

Jason dropped Nico on the deck, who winced as his body embraced the floor.

"Sorry about that Nico." The golden boy apologized as he chased madly after the curly haired boy with arms extended. 

This went on for quite a while, Jason chased Leo around the life-raft, past the burlap sacks and even through a makeshift fort, disturbing a cuddling Frank and Hazel who had also decided to go star watching tonight.

Then it happened. Nico, still collapsed on the floor heard a cuss then a thud as Jason slipped on a meatball, flying backwards into Piper -who had just gotten up from a previous fall- sending them both hurtling over the guardrail and into the water with a  _splash!_

Nico dragged himself over to the rail, peering down anxiously. 

Leo joined him, eyes widening. When he spoke, it was an octave higher than normal. 

"We're screwed." 


	6. An Unexpected Vacation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Enjoy!

*** _Leo's POV_ ***

 

 

 _Are they okay? Are they dead? Hurt? Injured? It was all my fault. Leo! How could you be so stupid?!_   I thought as I paced the room back and forth.  _Just great. I sent my two best friends crash-landing into the god-damn ocean because of my stupid prank. With friends like me, you don't need enemies!_

 

Nico looked up at me from the bench with a _stop pacing, you idiot_ look. I ran a hand through my hair. We were waiting outside the infirmary for Jason and Piper and hadn't received any news so far. At all.  _They could've been dead for all I knew._ Though Nico had assured me they weren't. 

"They're not dead. I would've sensed it." It was like he read my mind. How does he do that? I spun to face him.

"But what if they already died and you missed it?" 

Nico glared at me. Suddenly I wished I could just grab those words back from the air.

"I don't think I could miss the feeling of suffocating and a mini-heart attack."

"Oh." So that's what it felt like. 

Percy, of course had known, even before Nico rushed to him, and we all spent the entire morning fishing. Haha. I wish I could crack a joke to lighten the mood but we hadn't heard any news about what was going on inside.

The door swung open and Frank emerged, perfectly fine. 

"Are they okay?!" I grabbed Frank by the front of his shirt, begging to know something. Anything. I guess he must've thought one of my screws were loose, because he stumbled a bit and backed away very slowly with his palms held out in front of him. 

 

"I'm not insane, possessed, or an imposter if you were wondering." 

 

Frank still kept his distance as he said,

 

"They're fine. They just want to kill you in a cruel, unusual way and feed you to the birds... Oh, and Hazel wants both of you in there asap, but she wouldn't tell me why." 

 

"Thanks." 

 

"No problem, just don't do that shirt grabb-"

 

I didn't stay to listen to the rest of his sentence 'cuz When Hazel wants to talk to you, it's serious shit.

 

_***3P*** _

 

"Why does nobody ever listen to me?" Frank wondered, kicking over a trashcan (sims reference xD) as he walked out.

 

 Leo and Nico rushed into the tiny infirmary, their hair and clothes flying. Jason glanced up at them weakly as they came in. 

 

"Wondered when you guys would get in here." He was propped against 6 or 7 pillows, as pale as a ghost. Oh. And he was also in a full body cast. 

 

Leo looked at his best friend, unable to move.  

 

"I'm sorry superman." 

 

"Frank did tell you we wanted to kill you in a strange and unusual way, I trust?"

 

"And feed me to the birds, I know, I know. I'm really really really really really really really (this goes on for 15 more minutes) ...really sorry. 

 

Piper stirred from her bed beside Jason's, also in a full body cast, although she somehow looked worse. The son of Hephaestus had never seen the daughter of love look like this. Her hair looked like someone had run a weedwhacker through it, tangled with bird poop, twigs, and other unidentifiable objects. Her face was paler than Jace's, scratched and cut so much she might've gone on a date with Freddy Krueger. But her eyes still shone with that spark saying _"I know exactly who you belong with."_ The spark that said she was okay. 

 

"Uh... Pipes..."

 

"Say a word and you won't make it out of this room alive."

 

"..."

 

"We're fine Leo. Don't worry about us, go see Hazel." She finished, dismissing him. 

 

The son of fire had almost forgotten that Nico was in the room, who was biting his lip and glancing worriedly towards the door where Hazel presumably waited. 

 

_He looks so cute when he does that._

 

 _Where did that come from?_ He shook it off and gulped, turning to the door, which seemed to glow ominously. 

 

Closing his eyes tightly, he threw open the door and went in, hearing Nico close the door behind them.  

"Hi guys!" Hazel greeted them cheerfully over by a set of sofas. 

 

"How are you?"

 

"Good." They said simultaneously. 

 

"Yeah Frank said you wanted to talk to us so..." Leo began as they both sat down on the same cream-coloured couch opposite her. Whether it was for safety or just plain laziness, we'll never know. 

 

"Well, we agreed that since you both work so hard, you guys deserve a vacation!!! Just a second."

 

She dove behind the couch, coming up with piña coladas sporting curly straws and a pair of straw hats decked with flowers. She tossed one on Leo easily enough but Nico was a different story, trying everything he could to resist. Ten minutes later, he was wearing a hat and sulkingly drinking the beverage. 

"So Hazel, where exactly are we  **going** on vacation?" The curly-haired boy asked, hoping to sound casual. The girl took a sip of her own drink before answering.

 

"To camp-half blood of course! :D" 

 

 

_ ***Leo's Pov*** _

 

I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. Then the full meaning of her words hit me like a ton of bricks.

 

"You can't do this! We have to stay here! What about Gaea? Who'll fly Festus?!" That's what I meant to say, but it came out sounding more like

"youcan'tdothiswehavetostayherewhataboutGaeawho'llflyfestus?!"

 

 

They were going to kick us off the ship. _**My**_ ship.

 

Nico looked just as stunned. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but Hazel beat him to it.

 

"Just go." Her voice lost all of its fake cheerfulness. I had a feeling she knew if she heard what he had to say, she'd never get us off this ship.

 

Before I could protest some more, Nico walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder, an apologetic look on his face. Before I realized what he was doing, the image of Hazel looking away and biting her lip faded from view. Everything was black.

 

You know that feeling when you're walking through the woods at night? When you can't see or feel anything until you bump into it? (Damn you tree.) Yeah. That's exactly how shadow traveling felt like. In the dark, I couldn't see or feel Nico anywhere until I walked straight into him. 

"Ow! Watch it! Valdez!"

"Sorry! My bad! I totally saw you there!" 

He _growled_ at me.

"You ruined my concentration. It's very, very easy to get lost. We could be in China by now!" To prove his point, the ground lurched sideways. I could tell he was trying very hard not to lose his temper. The shadows around us dissipated without warning. 

 

The first thing I saw were the red lanterns. They dangled colourfully from their black strings like christmas lights throughout the village, spanning one black tiled roof to another. People shouted foreign words at one another from their bicycles. Holy Hephaestus, the noise was incredible! Okay, think waterfalls, bulldozers and firecrackers, but times a million. Luckily, they haven't noticed us yet. I tried to move my hand, but found it was conveniently tangled in a tree branch. I squinted my eyes. A sign below us read: Welcome to Shanghai (欢迎你到上海) 

"You were right about that." 


	7. We shadow-travel to China

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Enjoy!

_***Still Leo's POV*** _

 

Great. Just great. We were 30 feet off the ground, stuck in an oak tree. An acorn conked me on the head, joy. Oh yeah, did I mention we were in the middle of China?

 

Beside me, Nico was comatose. Oh well, I'll just wait for him to wake up. He does look kinda cute, not showing any of the I'm-the-ghost-king-and-I-might-kill-you-facade that he usually wears. This was going to take a long time...

 

**3 hours later**

 

Now to the inexperienced shadow-traveller, escaping from a 30-foot high tree may be a slightly difficult task. But Nico just yawned and jumped, landed on the ground without a sound, reminding me of a cat who always lands on his feet.

 

"A little help here?" I hated begging anyone for anything, but last time I checked I didn't really have a choice.

 

"Just burn off the branches with your hands." He replied sleepily. 

 

What a marvelous idea! I'll just go and burn off the only thing preventing me from falling to a very painful death (a totally un-freakish thing to do by the way) with hundreds of people watching! I think we're found the next einstein!

 

"You're not going to fall." It was like he read my mind. Seriously, how does he do that?

 

"Says who?"

 

"Says me. Jump, and I'll catch you if you're so scared of falling."

 

Here's the thing. Hephaestus's children notoriously hate heights. Like annabeth-with-spiders-hate, and he knows it.

 

"Come on!" Nico just stood there, tapping his feet impatiently. The dark bags under his eyes not really boosting the whole 'hero' image.

 

I had no other choice.

 

So I closed my eyes and jumped, a million things going through my head. _What if he's a foot short? What if he's a second late? What if he's off by a few degrees?_

 

When I felt thin arms wrap around me breaking the fall, I let out the breath I didn't even know I was holding and hugged his neck, giggling.

 

"My hero." 

 

"Shut up." He dropped me on the floor. Rude! 

 

"Have you slept your fill, Sleeping Beauty?"

 

He groaned and looked at the sky with an expression like 'kill-me-now'.

 

"I'm fine, but we can't shadow-travel back, they'd just kick us out again."

 

"Okee-dok."

 

When he was certain no one was watching us, he moved ahead like he'd done this too many times before, and lead me through the city. Sometimes he'd make an

offhand comment about a place, other times, he'd tell me stories of past botched shadow-travels where he'd ended up in the most unheard of places. (Bora-Bora anyone?)

 

 

**__ **

**_ *Nico's POV*  _ **

 

"What's that?" Leo asked me, pointing to something in the distance.

 

I smiled. I knew this place well. 

 

"That's the JingJiang Amusement park. Why? Do you want to go?" 

 

He looked at me sheepishly.

 

"...Maybe?"

 

A laugh bubbled it's way up to my throat. I didn't even know I could anymore. But that's exactly what it was. I put a hand to my mouth to stop the offensive sound, but Leo took it off.

 

"You're allowed to laugh, Neeks. Cut yourself some slack!" He rolled his eyes. I put my hand back and shot him a glare. 

 

"Let's just go." 

 

**-Later-**

 

 "No!"

 

"Yes!"

 

"No!

 

"But it's special!"

 

"I told you I won't!" 

 

There was no way in hell I was doing it. Leo took a frustrated nibble of his fried doughnut. 

 

"Please Neeks? For me?"

 

"I'd rather die."

 

"So are you guys gonna do something or just stand there?" A new voice interrupted. We stopped arguing like an old married couple and turned to look at the 16-year-old Chinese guy with a goatee and a bad haircut, who also happened to speak English.  

 

"You stay out of this!" We said at the same time. 

 

He held up his hands in surrender. 

 

With no other weapons left, Leo pulled out the heavy artillery.

 

I swear on the river Styx. If I ever find out who invented puppy faces, he'd better start running because I was going to personally hunt him down, kill him, and watch him burn in Tartarus for eternity. 

 

"Just this once."

 

I gave the guy one of those carnival tokens and he sighed in relief. That was before he saw just how good I was. 

 

The game was simple. All you had to do was memorize the order in which the little cards on the screen flipped over, then they turn over and you have flip them over in exactly the same way. 

 

 I won in 10 seconds flat. All 10 levels. 540 cards. 

The guy handed over the stuffed 'Bob the Builder' with a dazed look on his face. 

 

"Thank you!" Leo clapped his hands and kissed me on the cheek, hugging the toy. 

 

I felt my whole body blush, if that was possible. That fluster didn't go away for the rest of the day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Shish-Kebabs!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Enjoy!

**_ *Leo's POV*  _ **

 

 

We were walking along the Bund, admiring the ocean view when it happened.

 

The nearest fountain exploded, spraying water and debris everywhere. Unfortunately, we were in the middle of everywhere. (A/N I got this from a reddit comic, don't judge). 

 

Immediately my demigod senses kicked in, (we don't do all that training for nothing y'know). Pushing Nico to the ground, I barely had time to duck as the next fountain blew up,this time followed by a loud roar. Sighing, I grabbed my hammer from it's place in my trusty tool-belt. You see? We can't even enjoy a day in a foreign country without something trying to turn us into freaking shish-kebabs! Nico drew his Stygian iron sword just as I pulled us both against one of the intact fountains. 

 

"Show yourself demigods! I smell you!" 

 

"You go left and I go right?" 

 

He nodded and we gripped our weapons, charging in just as the beast came into sight.

 

It was a Chimera. Oh Good! Just what we needed, a fire breathing monster who wanted to barbeque us. Nico dove onto its other side, surprising the thing and cutting the goat's left ear clean off, drawing back before the animal could scorch him. I snuck up from behind and brought my hammer down on on the unsuspecting goat's head, knocking it out cold.

 

And then there were two. He parried the lion's teeth away, but that was pretty hard to do when he was also trying to avoid it's 100 degree breath.

 

Wait! I had to help him somehow, I placed my hand over the first pocket of my tool belt, willing for something useful. Then it came. Pulling it out with little difficulty, I just had time to slip it over his head before the next torrent of fire blasted. Nico stood perfectly still, and for a second, I worried it didn't work.

 

Then he came lunged forward and stuck his sword down the half-lion, half-goat, half-snake's throat. With a gurgle, rolled over on the ground. I thought we had basically gotten this down but, as usual... I forgot about the poisonous snake. 

 

"Ah!" A flash of green lashed out and bit my ankle, the searing pain spreading through my body like wildfire. "Leo!" I heard the ghost king yell. It hurt. Like crazy. I sank to my knees, hands on my temples. But my head was already becoming foggy, black spots appearing on my vision.

 

From the corner of my eye, I watched Nico dash and slice, each successful blow earning him a furious hiss. "Hang in there, I'll get to you as soon as I can!" I managed to nod weakly. He finally pierced the damn reptile through the... heart? Then he was running, eyes wide. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare leave me Valdez!" I smiled, so he cared after all. My eyelids felt so heavy, the darkness suddenly seemed very appealing. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to close them just for a second...

 

*Nico's POV*

Just as I sprinted over, Leo closed his eyes. NO. I bent over him, now lying on the rough cement and my heart sped up. Placing two fingers over his wrist, I almost died right then and there. Nothing. No. I put my ear to his chest, listening to his heart thrash against the poison. I had to be fast. Carrying him proved easy enough since he weighed almost nothing. I bent the shadows over us, feeling the familiar dark close in like a blanket.

 

 _ **I know, I know. So much Leo POV's. Don't worry, Nico will get his share. Just be patient darlings.**_  

 

 


	9. You're Not Nico, but I Like You Anyway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Enjoy!

**_ *3P* _ **

 

Nico twisted the skull ring around and around his finger absentmindedly, a habit when he was worried. Though he'll never admit in a million years just who he was worried over.

 

"Is there anything I can do?"

 

"The cure does exist, and I do know where it is located." The old centaur picked his words carefully. 

 

"But-?" Nico knew well enough that these kinds of sentences usually followed with something less-than-pleasant.

 

Chiron trotted over quietly and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. A look of understanding passed between them. 

 

"Poisonous snakes bites are easy to cure. Poisonous Chimera snake bites on the other hand..." Well, let's just say they're that bit harder. The journey will be very difficult, you may not even come back alive. Do you understand?"

 

The ghost king unconsciously rocked a sleeping Leo in his arms, being as gentle as possible. Not because he wanted to, but because of a lack of beds in the big house. Plus, he was pretty comfy to hold, like a teddy bear... Nico forced himself to snap out of his thoughts. 

 

"Yes." Nico said, voice deprived of any obvious emotion. 

 

"Alright. Here's what you need to do..."

 

 

 

 *

 

 

 

The Italian left the blue house with grim determination on his face.

 So many scenes swirled through his head as he kicked open the door to cabin 9, blatantly ignoring the strange looks he got from the other campers.

Still carrying Leo bridal style, he slowly made his way to Leo's bed (who else had their headboard engraved with "Flame on!"?), but when he  _tried_  laying down his parcel, the Latino whimpered and refused to let go, clutching a handful of Nico's shirt. 

He sighed and softly pried off the long, caramel-coloured fingers, standing back just out of the other's reach. When Leo discovered that he had nothing to grab, he huffed disappointedly. Snuggling down into his blanket and muttering something too low for Nico to hear before burying his face in his pillow.

Nico felt that smile creep across his face again. The same one that made him feel like Laina Walker -but with 10 more cups of caffeine. He shook it off. No way he could have feelings for someone as exasperatingly annoying (and cute) as the son of Hephaestus. How small and innocent he looked all curled up like that. No jokes, no pranks. This was a rare side to the ever-noisy Leo Valdez, and he secretly loved it. He left the cabin without looking back. 

 

 

**1 Week Later...**

 

 

Sunlight streamed in softly through the parted drapes.  Birdsong filled the air. 

 

Leo groaned and pulled the blanket over his head as a futile attempt to block out the offensive glow.  Everything hurt, and his head felt like someone was repeatedly jackhammering (not the s*x position) it, he could almost hear buzzing.

 

Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and unenthusiastically got up to close the curtains. Oblivious to a pair of silent eyes watching him.

The son of fire rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, noticing a small green vial on the bedside table. Reading the tag briefly, he uncorked it and tilted his head all the way back, drowning all the contents before replacing the empty bottle on the wooden surface, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"It's about time you got off your lazy ass."

He'd recognize that voice anywhere. Leo's eyes snapped to the figure in the corner sitting very, very still. The repair boy gasped, Nico literally looked like. He. Had. Been. Through. Hell. Cut marks ran rampant over his face and neck, two long white scratches scaled the right side of his face like twin dragons. Purple, black and blue painted his pale, creamy skin like watercolour art. The son of Hephaestus's eyes moved upwards. Deeper shadows crowded his eyes. Raven hair was tangled with branches, and his obsidian eyes, though tired, seemed to glow with the most radiant light. Then the son of fire noticed his expression. Gods above. Even in this state, he was awestruck. Was he? He was! News of the century:

 

Nico freaking di Angelo. Was.

 

 

 

 

Smiling.

 

"Who are you and what have you done with Nico?!" Leo shook the other by the shoulders, wildly. 

 

The ghost king rolled his eyes, smile turning into a smirk as he decided to play along. 

 

"I'm Zorro from the planet Herps, here to steal your potted plants! Hand them over now, Earthling." 

 

Leo laughed loudly placing a hand on his stomach, to keep it from bursting Nico assumed. He couldn't hold back either, and soon they were both collapsed in a heap on the floor, laughing their asses off.  

 

And that's how they stayed for a few hours. 

 


	10. Capture The Halfbloods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Enjoy!

_***Nico's POV*** _

 

"Capture the flag starts after dinner!" Chiron called, raising his voice.

 

Cheers of "Yes!" and "Awesome!" broke out amongst the campers gathered in the dining pavilion, their mindless chatter now tinged with excitement. Capture the flag was big at camp. Of course, you probably already knew that. 

 

I watched everyone laughing and eating, unaware of the danger they were in. Gaea was going to rise. If we couldn't stop her, none of us will survive. On that happy note, I turned to look at Leo all the way across the room, joking around with one of his half-siblings. (Mark, I think?) Our eyes met across the tables and he smiled at me. In THAT way, ok, cliché, but like we were the only two in the room. I felt my cheeks heat up. Damn that cheeky bastard! I outright GLARED back, giving him my coldest look. Instead of shrinking away though, he just grinned all the wider.

I gave up and eyed the empty bronze plate in front of me. A pretty nymph noticed and brought over piping-hot lasagna on a tray, setting it down on the equally empty table. I took a bite. It was good, but didn't hold a candle to my mom's. I sighed. If only Hazel was here. It was times like these that I wished my father had maintained better connections with Aphrodite. At least then I wouldn't have to eat alone.

Leo must've noticed my frown, walking over.

 

"Spacious." He noted.

 

"Why so down, cupcake?"

 

"I'm not a cupcake."

 

"Oops, my bad. You're twice as sweet."

 

I rolled my eyes, but on the inside I was screaming. If there was an award for the worst pick-up artist in the world, Leo Valdez would win it. Hands down.

 

"What do you want?" I tried to make my voice sound as icy as possible. I couldn't fall for him. Even if he was cute as fuck and probably the only person in the world who could make me crack. No freaking way.

 

"Geez, neeks. Do I have to always have a reason to talk to you?"

 

I stared him down.

 

"Well, how about this? I wanted to thank you."

 

"For what?"

 

He looked at me with an expression between amusement and disbelief.

 

"Y'know? Risking your life to get that vial? The cure? Gosh, you're so dense sometimes."

 

I narrowed my eyes.

 

"How did you know about that?!"

 

"Word of mouth. Plus it wasn't that hard to believe with your uh... "

 

"My what?"

 

He quickly changed the subject, but I was fuming. I felt my fists clench, no one was supposed to know! Chiron had promised...

 

I wasn't paying attention when the sound of clinking glass interrupted the surrounding conversations. Again.

 

"Now, the moment all of you've been waiting for. It's time for capture the flag! I think you all know the rules, but I'll clarify for those who don't. All magic items allowed, keep killing or maiming to a minimum, and have fun!" He sounded like a happy parent sending his kids to a sleepover at someone's else's house, relishing in every second he had to himself.

 

"Ares, Athena, Apollo, Dionysus and Hades on blue. Aphrodite, Demeter, Hermes and Hephaestus on red." The sound of chairs scraping back jolted me out of my head. I was almost ...disappointed, for some reason.

 

"You're totally going down, Valdez." 

 

"Not a chance."

Twenty minutes and a bet later, we were on our respective sides. I stood behind the others, half-heartedly listening to an Apollo guy and an Athena girl battle over whose strategy to use. The girl won. The horn sounded and we spread out. 

 

 

 

I pushed my way through the trees, spotting their flag almost immediately. It was planted in a hollow tree about 15 yards from here.  Two tired-looking guards looked more likely to fall asleep than to attack. I could make it there and back easy. Then a flash of green darted past me.

 

"What are you _doing_?!" I hissed, trying not to blow our cover.

 

Whoever it was stopped still like a cornered animal before realizing I was on the same team. 

 

"Oh! Hey Nico! Wazzup!? Don't mind me, I'm just casually trying to nab a flag without being brutally killed here! I suspect you're doing the same?" 

 

I almost laughed out loud before remembering to clap a hand over my mouth. It was Emily, daugher of Athena (though she isn't like Annabeth at all, except maybe in terms of smartness) my best childhood friend from China that I had met once on a trip there. We had spent entire weeks just visiting the city's many attractions, including the one I went to with Leo. But I haven't seen her in 7 years because her father follows his work all over the world. 

 

She smiled sweetly, swinging her arm over my shoulder.

 

"Alright. My plan was to sneak over there, in camouflage of course, and swipe the flag when they're not looking. But I need a distraction..."

 

She looked over at me with a mad glint in her eyes. Sorta like Leo's come to think of it. I backed away very, very slowly. Even without knowing her for so long, I knew what she had in mind.

 

It didn't work. 

 

Exactly 7 seconds later, I was running towards the flag yelling and screaming in a makeshift tribal costume made of sticks and mud. It wasn't pleasant, but you don't just tell a child of Athena no.

 

Emily sidled up behind the distracted guards, quickly taking them out by pressure point. (I tried to make her teach me, but she said it was only for kung-fu masters like her. I didn't believe it either.) 

 

She grabbed the flag and gestured wildly at me, like 'come on!' 

 

I didn't need to be told twice, I bolted, amazed at our good luck. Though I spoke too soon, because the next thing I knew, we were yanked from the ground, dangling 3 feet from the ground. 

 

Cursing under my breath, we struggled against the net, trying to find a weakness. Unfortunately, there was none. Then I noticed the initials _L.V_ burnedinto one of the ropes. Figures.

 

"Dang it!" 

 

I unsheathed my sword, hoping to cut it loose. Leo must've known what he was doing, because the trap didn't budge. Emily studied the net carefully, I could almost see the gears turning behind her head. 

 

"There." She pointed to a torch lit with Greek fire, stuck on one of the trees. 

 

Then without pausing, she started leaning against the net, left, right, left, right. 

 

I didn't know where she was going with this, but I knew to always trust her on this kind of stuff. 

 

I leaned with her, left, right, left right. The net started swinging like a giant pendulum, with the exception of us inside- picking up more and more speed. When we got close enough to the tree, she reached out hand and grabbed it just before we swung back again, delicately burning a circle big enough for us to climb out of. We landed with a thud.

 

Running like bats out of hell we crossed back the boundary line with the flag held high above our heads. Our teammates cheered, lifting us onto their shoulders, back to the big house. Their annoying cheerfulness was contagious unfortunately. I couldn't help but feel some of it seep into me too.

 

Leo, who had just appeared along with the others on the team, saw me and put on a mock defeated-face. I smirked back, about to shout something about our bet but before I had a chance, his whole body stiffened noticeable, his jaw hard. For a second, I thought he was glaring at Emily but the look was gone just as quickly as it appeared. I followed his eyes. She looked uncomfortable, as if she wasn't used to being praised, but smiled and went along with it. She deserved this, of course. I just couldn't understand Leo's reaction. 

 

**_ *3P* _ **

 

He was still piecing it together when the first one fell. Nico almost didn't notice it; light green, almost transparent against the trees.

 

 _How beautiful..._ he thought, as he reached out. But the moment his finger touched the delicate flake, he slumped to the ground, unconscious. The world was wiped black.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took soooo lonnnggggg! But yes, my lovelies, I finally updated! Yayz! Oh, and I put myself in this chapter. Why? Because I can :3


	11. We Play A Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Enjoy!

**_*Leo's POV*_ **

 

_Where am I?_

 

I looked around the room. It was small, claustrophobic. *Shudder* Three of the four cracked walls were covered in peeling grey paint, the last one was not even painted. Like seriously, if you're going to paint a room, at least do it right. Gosh! *Snaps fingers in Z-formation* Definitely not the best place.

To my right, a small wooden bedside table leaned against the unpainted wall. A bottle of oil lay a few inches from my feet. Weird. The last thing I remembered was watching Nico fall unconscious after he touched... that sparkly snowflake imposter? Yeah, now that I think of it, one must've gotten me too. How else had I ended up here? Then I felt something stir beside my chest and a mop of unruly black hair came into view. I grinned. I didn't even notice him curled up at my side until now. Awww... He was too cute, with those ears that stuck out like Dumbo's and a tiny button nose and... I am definitely NOT checking the ghost king out. 

 

But my luck was bad, as always, so of course he had to chose that moment to wake up. WHY ME? *Screams and runs around the room*

 

Watching someone sleep like a creepy stalker is not high on the romance scale just so you know. But getting caught doing it, that's like a hundred times worse. Luckily, demigods were born with great reflexes. By that I mean I almost gave myself whiplash from turning my head at the last second. Thanks Dad! From the corner of my eye, I saw him yawn and survey the room. He was about to get up too, when his eyes widened- probably realizing the very compromising position we were in. (That I conveniently forgot to mention. :D) Our eyes locked, fire on ice. I faintly registered his small hands wrapped around my waist, mine around his neck, legs a tangled mess. No one breathed. 

 

"Hey there, sunshine." 

 

"What the fuck?!"

 

He jumped away from me as if I had the plague.

 

"Chill babe! I'm 100% flea free! I think... And who  _doesn't_ want to cuddle with the Supersized McShizzle? I know you want it (*Robin Thicke Voice*)"

 

I waggled my eyebrows suggestively. He turned redder than tomato ketchup. 

 

"Ow!"

 

I didn't even see his hand reach out until it was too late.  _Bam!_

 

Judging from the pain,it is safe to say that my cheek now matches the colour of Nico's face. Yessire, angry red is taking over the runways by storm this season! Stay tuned to find out more about this newest fashion trend! 

 

Before I could tease him some more, a tv screen slinked down from previous inexistence. It crackled with static then cleared to show an ugly puppet face. 

 

"Hey! I didn't know the Joker was visiting us today! Hi Joker! Say hello to Batman for me, will ya?" 

 

Nico groaned and face-palmed. 

 

"That's not the Joker, Leo. That's Pigsaw." 

 

"How do you know? You weren't even awake 2 minutes ago!" 

 

He rubbed his face tiredly. 

 

"When I was at the Lotus hotel, I played some of these... With B-Bianca. I was never very good at them because they take a lot of logic. They're escape games. You have to like use stuff in here to defeat the monsters within this building and hopefully make it out alive." 

 

"Ah good. Pale boy over here knows what he's doing. That's right. I want to play a game." 

 

"What kind of game? I suck at Monopoly so..." 

 

"It's an escape game Leo." 

 

"Right." 

 

"You must get past all the dangerous traps I've set if you hope to make it out of this alive. Escape or Die! Make your choice!" The tv went back to static, disappearing instantly. 

 

"Well shit." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kinda short sorry, but I wanted to update on the same day my fav. authors did. And my sister is the most annoyiest person in the world...
> 
> It's both hilarious and frustrating when I come across a fic that uses the exact same idea I wanted to use. But then they make it a hundred times better so I'm like, nope nope. If I write one of this, someone will get mad at me for "stealing" their idea, when I really haven't... Okay, that probably didn't make sense, but I'm tired so... yeah.


	12. Oil Slick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was a slow update but I had to finish club 23 and the shoe thief before this so I actually have an excuse. Well here it is! Chapter 12! *Enjoy!

_***Nico's POV*** _

__

"Well shit."

 

I shot him a  _you don't say_ look. Stupid statements deserved stupid replies after all. 

 

As much as I wanted to stay like this (though I wouldn't have admitted it to Leo on gunpoint), we had to find our way out.

 

Unfortunately the room seemed to drop 30 degrees as soon as I got up. Leo's lap suddenly looked very, very warm. No.  _Snap out of it di angelo._ We were fucking trapped in an abandoned building and all I could think about was Leo.

 

He sat there now, grinning like an idiot. It took every ounce of my willpower not to slap it off. Damn son of a bitch. Cazzo. 

         

I move to unsheath my sword, only to find nothing there. Damn it. They must've disarmed us, too. Guess we're just going to have to do this the old fashioned way. I walked over and picked up the bottle of oil with ease. The bedside table drawer was another story. It was locked with a 4-digit combination code.

 

"We should go." I say. His grin's faded to a simple smile but it has the opposite effect, warming my heart for no reason. I shake it off. We walk into the open doorway together. 

 

 

Leo opens his mouth to yelp in surprise, but I quickly slap a hand over it. I wasn't ready to become monster appetizer this quickly. He nods and I take it off, wiping it on my pants.

 

The giant troll was only a few feet away on the other side of the room, back turned. The red warning line couldn't have been more clear. I expected it to come charging the moment we stepped in, but it didn't move a muscle. Strange. Usually they can smell demigods from miles away. Right off the bat, I knew this place was not part of normal existence. 

 

My muscles tensed. 

 

Off to the side of the troll -within the red border was a piece of paper. It was clear that we'd have to somehow retrieve it. But how? Leo's eyes widened and he gestured at the stationary frantically. I rolled my eyes. We obviously couldn't just waltz in there and take it. Then he pointed to a perfectly round hole in the ground in the far left corner. I didn't understand how a hole could help us. He sighed quietly and tiptoed to the hole, crouching down next to it. What the heck was he doing? Did he even know how deep that thing went? I watched him wearily, ready to pull him out if he fell in. 

Leo placed his hands around the edges, pulling the hole right out of the ground before placing it neatly in his pocket. A little tag stuck out, reading "portable hole." Definitely not normal. Suddenly I got an idea. I looked down at the bottle of oil in my hands. Hmm... 

 

 

 

 

Everything was set up. All we had to do was lure it over. 

 

"Yoo hoo!"

 

"GRRR!"

 

*Crash* 

 

The thing hurdled backwards, arms waving in wide circles as it slipped over the oil dumped over the doorway, falling straight into the portable hole. Well that takes care of him. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nico's being a little ooc, I know. But I have to bend him a little to fit better with Leo :D


	13. Pose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Thank you to all who took the time to review or leave kudos, they just make my day! :D Okay that's it. On to the chapter! *Enjoy!

_***3rd POV*** _

__

 

Watching trolls fall down bottomless holes (rhyme time!) proved to be very satisfying for one sadistic Leo Valdez. Who proceeded to laugh evilly in his head for so long he attracted the other's inquisitive looks. 

 

"Are you checking me out? Take a picture then, it'll last longer."

 

The son of Hephaestus teased before posing against the wall, pout on face, hands in pockets, right leg bent dramatically. 

 

The Italian sputtered and quickly averted his gaze, furiously blushing. 

 

"In your dreams Valdez. I was looking at the mirror." 

 

The new model did a 180 spin, immediately noticing the bronze mirror that definitely wasn't there when they had stepped in. But hey, giant trolls were made exactly for that purpose. 

 

"Do you think it's enchanted or what? Do we take it?" 

 

Nico rolled his eyes, before snarking,  

 

"Well I don't know, a random mirror appeared out of nowhere! Let's play poker with it! YES we take it." 

 

Leo looked taken aback for a second before grinning.

 

"I was going to suggest bridge, but poker works." 

 

Nico had half a mind to wring Leo's neck then -the other half was too busy staving off the infectious laugh that was fighting it's way out of his stomach. In the end he didn't do either, opting to simply scowl at the son of Vulcan, who hummed and grinned obliviously like the Cheshire cat. 

 

The ghost king did let out a very, VERY small one though (if you say otherwise he'll summon a legion of zombies to chase you), when he thought the other wasn't looking. It was so quiet he barely heard it himself. 

 

But Leo heard, and knew. He knew that Nico was warming up to him, it'd only be a matter of time. 

 

 

 

 

"Okaayyy. A useless string of numbers. Very helpful. All the more since we had to risk our lives for it!" 

 

Leo frowned, scanning through the text again and flipping it over. 

 

"Nothing on the back either. Just our luck." He commented with a sigh.  

 

Nico reached his hand out and the boy on fire gave it to him without a moment's hesitation. 

 

Once they had both poured over the paper for at least 10 minutes, they decided it was hopeless and opted to continue moving through the maze.

 

 

 

"What the-?" 

 

They had stepped into a completely dark room. No windows, no doors. 

 

*clunk* 

 

"Leo!" 

 

Nico reached forward just as Leo's boots left the edge. There was a heavy silence. For one, panicky moment, he wondered if he was too late, but that thought dissolved the instant his hand touched narrow leather. He hauled Leo by his suspenders onto solid ground with a force so great it toppled both of them backwards. 

 

"Why can't you be more careful you asshat?!" 

 

The younger demigod steadied himself, discreetly placing a hand over his racing heart as he tried to swallow the unpleasant taste in the back of his mouth. Of almost losing Leo to...to  a stupid pit. 

 

None of this went unnoticed by Leo though, who immediately wrapped his arms around the shivering boy, hushing him and speaking softly. 

 

"Hey. It's alright. I'm alive, I'm here." 

 

Nico looked up at Leo, or the piece of darkness he thought was Leo. He couldn't really be sure. Tears threatened to spill down his cheeks. 

 

"B-but you almost... died..." The son of Hades trailed off into a whisper, hiccupping before wiping his eyes roughly on his sleeve. Getting angry now. 

 

"I hate you." He spat, eyes hard and steely. 

 

Leo didn't know what was going on, one second Nico was yelling at him for being a moron, the next he was crying, and now the son of Hades hated him? If he didn't know better, he'd think this was the male version of PMS.

 

The son of Hephaestus gently cupped Nico's cold, wet cheeks with both of his hands, reveling in the cold tingle Nico's skin always seemed to have. He thought back to the day he had woken up in the big house after being attacked. Nico had selflessly gone after the antidote for him AND went along with the firebender's horrible jokes just to make him feel better WILLINGLY. He thumbed away the tears that hadn't fallen yet, 

 

"Hey. Listen to me. You've saved my life more times than I could count. You're always putting others before you, never asking for anything in return, like getting that antidote for me and coming back looking like Hell as a result. A very hot hell, but still hell. And you put up with my shit all the time yet you've never said a word about it. You're AMAZING Nico." 

 

The other opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Leo's pressing very softly against his. 

 

 

The ghost king's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't push Leo away. Their lips moved perfectly with each other, like pieces of a puzzle. After a few minutes, Nico melted into the kiss completely and wrapped his arms around the other's neck, bringing them impossibly close. He heard the Latino's small gasp of surprise and pleasure as he began carding his lissom fingers through the thick, curly hair. 

 

 

 

 

*Some Time Later

 

 

 

 

 

"We... Have... To... Get out of here." 

 

At last Leo broke their makeout session to get these words out inbetween kisses. He wanted nothing more than to continue kissing Nico but an abandoned factory wasn't exactly an inviting atmosphere.

 

 

"M'don't want tooooo." 

 

 

Leo laughed, hardly believing he was the sensible one for a change. 

 

"We'll continue this later Neeks, just not here 'kay?" 

 

"Fine." The other grumbled, getting to his feet. 

 

"The sooner we get out of here, the better." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you eat your carrots today?


End file.
